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10 Surprising Facts About the Fourth of July

Everyone loves Independence Day, the quintessential American holiday, full of parades, picnics, and ... surprising facts? You bet! Be the life of the party--share a few of these tasty nuggets of knowledge with your fellow picnickers this year.

1. Independence Day commemorates the formal adoption of the Declaration of Independence on July 4, 1776. However, it was not declared a legal holiday until 1941.

2. Fireworks were made in China as early as the 11th century. The Chinese used their pyrotechnic mixtures for war rockets and explosives.

3. Uncle Sam was first popularized during the War of 1812, when the term appeared on supply containers. Believe it or not, the U. S. Congress didn't adopt him as a national symbol until 1961.

4. There are many precise rules for taking care of the American flag. And speaking of flag traditions, we're sorry to report that contrary to legend, historical research has failed to confirm that Betsy Ross sewed the first flag.

5. Not all members of the Continental Congress supported a formal Declaration of Independence, but those who did were passionate about it. One representative rode 80 miles by horseback to reach Philadelphia and break a tie in support of independence.

6. The first two versions of the Liberty Bell were defective and had to be melted down and recast. The third version rang every Fourth of July from 1778 to 1835, when, according to tradition, it cracked as it was being tolled for the death of Chief Justice John Marshall.

7. The American national anthem, the "Star-Spangled Banner," is set to the tune of an English drinking song ("To Anacreon in Heaven").

8. The iron framework of the Statue of Liberty was devised by French engineer Alexandre-Gustave Eiffel, who also built the Eiffel Tower in Paris.

9. The patriotic poem "America the Beautiful" was published on July 4, 1895 by Wellesley College professor Katharine Lee Bates.

10. Father of the country and architect of independence George Washington held his first public office at the tender age of 17. He continued in public service until his death in 1799.

Learn more about Independence Day.

From ClassBrain.com

4th of July
4th of July Cookout Facts
By U.S. Census Bureau
Jun 28, 2004, 13:06 PST

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As with many holidays, the 4th of July celebration includes food, drink and the realization of how fortunate we are as a nation. As of 1999, 66 million Americans said they had taken part in a barbeque during the previous year and 32 million in a picnic. It's probably safe to assume a good number of these events took place on the Fourth.

Though we do not have a fixed menu for the celebration of the Fourth, you can almost count on traditional favorites, such as hamburgers and hot dogs, chicken, ribs, garden salads, potato salad, chips and watermelon. Following is a summary of where these foods are produced:

* The beef on your backyard grill could have come from Texas. It was the leading state in the production of cattle and calves, accounting for 7.5 billion lbs. of the nation's total production of 42.8 billion lbs. in 2000.

* Your hot dogs and ribs may have originated in Iowa. The Hawkeye State had a total inventory of 14.9 million hogs and pigs as of March 1, 2002 -- about one-fourth of the nation's total.

* The chicken on your barbecue grill may have come from one of the top six broiler-producing states: Georgia, Arkansas, Alabama, North Carolina, Mississippi and Texas. The value of production in each of these states exceeded $1 billion in 2001. These states combined for well over half of the nation's broiler production.

* The lettuce in your salad or on your hamburger probably was grown in California, which accounted for nearly three-quarters of the value of this product in 2001.

* The fresh tomatoes in your salad or the ketchup on your hamburger or hot dog most likely come from Florida or California, which combined for nearly two-thirds of U.S. tomato production in 2001.

* Your side dish of baked beans or pork and beans may very well come from North Dakota or Nebraska, which, combined, produced nearly half of the dry, edible beans in 2001.

* As to the potatoes in your products such as potato salad or those used in making your potato chips, Idaho and Washington combined for one-half of potato production in 2001.

* For dessert, some mouth-watering watermelon might really hit the spot. Five states -- California, Florida, Georgia, Texas and Arizona -- combined for almost three-quarters of the

The Ruby is the gem for July.

The water lily is the flower for the month of July

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